Private-sector payrolls carry a combined value of $4.6 trillon in America's 938 metropolitan and micropolitan areas. More than one-third of that money — $1.7 trillion — is paid out by businesses in the nation's 10 biggest metros. Atop the list is the New York City area, where private-sector workers earned $445.4 billion in 2009, the latest year for which figures are available from the U.S. Census Bureau. The runners-up in the private-sector payroll rankings are Los Angeles ($240.9 billion), Chicago ($192…

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